Of Pigtails and Marionettes
by IsiGrace
Summary: Daphne loves making up words. Pinocchio is a stickler for proper English and a refined vocabulary. The two don't mix well, and they know it. What happens when an argument ensues? #SGNoRomoWeek


**A/N- #SGNoRomoWeek for the SG10thAnniverse! Sorry in advance if there's some mistakes- I wanted to get this in on time! I don't know if it is, though? It's about 9:45PM my time, so here's me hoping for the best! Enjoy!**

 **(Also, on a totally unrelated note, I just recently saw Jurassic World and Ant Man- have any of you guys seen it? If you have, what'd you think of it?)**

 **EDIT: I realized I left out the entire first paragraph while rushing to finish. Whoops :0**

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Daphne extended her arm to grab her lavender pillow, and shoved it underneath her head, ridding herself of the neck ache she knew was coming. Staring up at the ceiling, her arms now under her head, she sighed. Granny Relda, for the first time, had sent the pig-tailed girl up to her room after a heated argument occurred between herself and most likely the worst, most un-gravy person living in the house- Pinocchio.

Daphne wasn't very fond of Pinocchio, and with good reason. He was a constant pest, shooting down her ideas and correcting her grammar as if it were a crime. The ex-marionette had the nerve to call her vocabulary "childish and immature". Whatever. Sure, missing a year of school, courtesy of the Everafter War, had left the brunette less articulate than others, but she didn't need Pinocchio calling out every mistake she made.

"I've been helping Uncle Jake with all his trinkets," Daphne had revealed to her grandmother earlier that day. "He's teaching me a ton of different spells and stuff like that. I think I'm doing really good, so far."

"Well," Pinocchio corrected, "You think you're doing well. 'Well' is an adverb. 'Good' is an adjective. It's similar to saying you're doing yellow."

With each word, Pinocchio's tone had become more condescending, causing Daphne's anger to rise.

"Does it even matter?" she had asked, "It's not like I'm gonna die for saying 'good' instead of 'well'."

The boy sighed again. "Going to," he corrected, once again, "You're not going to die. 'Gonna' isn't a word."

"Shut up," was her hasty reply, "It doesn't matter. You're the only one who cares."

"The only person who should be shutting up is the one who doesn't know the proper rules of English. Learn how to speak correctly if you decide to speak at all." Pinocchio responded rudely.

"If it were my decision," he continued, narrowing his eyes, "I would decide against it."

"You're so not punk rock!"

"At least my vocabulary isn't childish and immature!"

"At least I'm not stuck up!"

"At least I know how to speak!"

"At least I can grow up!" Daphne shouted. While Pinocchio seemed to know everything, there was one problem he had, and he had no idea how to fix it- he couldn't grow up. After the war, he had grown to 14, and stayed there. Daphne had nearly caught up to him, with her birthday only a few shorts months away. She knew this irked him greatly. At 14, he became angrier and moodier, causing his peers and elders to value his opinion less- the one thing he couldn't stand.

"Daphne!" her grandmother had scolded, "Go upstairs, now."

Daphne stomped upstairs, but not without throwing the dirtiest glare she could in the direction of Pinocchio, who was red in the face, and breathing heavily. When she arrived at her room, it took incredible willpower- willpower she didn't know she had- not to slam the door. Too many times had Sabrina done that, and every time her punishment was increased. The brunette stood in front of her mirror. She too was breathing heavily, and her face was reddened.

Now here she was, watching one blade of the ceiling fan go around and around, endlessly spinning. Her breathing slowed, and she felt the heat on her face dissipate. Outside her room, she heard tentative footsteps climb the stairs. Someone was trying to be sneaky, but failing, ruling out Sabrina and Puck. Red was already upstairs, along with Canis and Uncle Jake. Too light for Granny Relda, not clumsy enough for Basil. Pinocchio? Daphne snuck outside her room, and leaned over the railing.

"Why are you trying to sneak upstairs?"

Pinocchio jumped as he was escalating, and tripped but caught himself by his hands before his face collided with the wooden stairs.

Daphne almost concealed a laugh. Almost.

The boy on the stairs continued upwards, careful not to trip. He walked past Daphne into her room- which bugged her slightly, but she let it go- and sat on the bed she has been in seconds before. She walked in and sat on a chair across the room.

"I didn't want you to hear me. I figured you'd come out and get mad again."

"Wha?" was her eloquent response.

"You asked why I was sneaking upstairs."

She did? Daphne tried to remember- oh, she did.

"Sorry." she apologized.

Pinocchio raised a single eyebrow, a talent she wished she had.

"About earlier," she elaborated, "That was mean."

He stayed silent for a few moments but eventually spoke.

"It's okay. Sorry as well. I always correct you with good intentions, but I suppose I don't come across that way, do I?" He scratched his neck.

"Not really," she replied truthfully, "But it's fine."

"Can I ask you a question?" Daphne continued.

"You just did, but you can ask another one if you want to."

She sighed. "Really?"

Pinocchio looked up, realizing how he sounded. "Sorry again- ," he apologized, "force of habit."

"In a totally not mean way, why do you care so much about grammar and using humungosaurus words?"

Daphne saw him flinch at her description.

"No one takes me seriously. My age challenges every human I've spoken to, and even a few Everafters who know it, but no one wants to have an actual conversation about current events with a 14 year old kid."

"Oh," she said intelligently. She stared at him for a while, and then spoke again.

"If it makes any difference, the way you talk is a lot fancier than most people. You're kinda intimidating."

"Hmm. Really?"

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence filled the room.

"I am sorry about earlier, though. That was very... how do you say it? Un-gravy."

Daphne smiled. Pinocchio was okay, at least for now.

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 **A/N- Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry again about any errors or editing mistakes- I'm in a hurry to get this in. Tell me how you felt about it by reviewing :)**

 **(P.S. You guys should totally participate in this week's SG10thAnniverse if you can, and definitely in next week's! You can find the prompts with all the recently updated stories right now, but they're also under Curlscat's stories!)**


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